Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro visited EMD Electronics in Hometown in April to help announce $300 million investment in the semiconductor specialty gases manufacturing facility.

As part of the investment, EMD Electronics is building a new 96,500-square-foot facility on its land in Rush Township to create the largest integrated specialty gases facility in the world.

Funds will create almost 200 jobs at the facility to allow EMD to meet surging demand in the electronics and semiconductor industries by doubling the production capacity of tungsten hexafluoride and nitrogen trifluoride, critical components in semiconductor manufacturing.

“We are planting a flag and sending a clear message to the world that Pennsylvania is open for business,” Shapiro said during the visit.

More than 300 were on hand for the announcement.

The company is one of the 10 largest manufacturing employers in Schuylkill County. The facility, which is celebrating a 50-year anniversary, was known for decades as Air Products and Chemicals.

Shapiro also announced an additional, supportive $1 million Pennsylvania First Program grant.

The company has committed to creating 68 new jobs and retaining 289 existing, full-time jobs at its Schuylkill County location within the next five years. Approximately 120 jobs will be created to help with the construction of the new facility.

The last time a sitting governor visited Tamaqua was 21 years ago when Gov. Mark Schweiker arrived with a $5 million state grant to help the town convert a former high school into a Lehigh Carbon Community College branch campus.